CAMARILLO : City to Consider Converting Center Into Police Station
The Camarillo City Council will decide today whether to hire an architect to study how to convert a former Masonic Temple that is now used as a community center into a new police station.
The council will consider a proposal to spend $20,000 for an architectural study to determine if the Bill Esty Community Center, at 3701 Las Posas Road, would be suited for conversion to a police station.
The building is now owned by a theater group and rented out for wedding receptions and other functions with large groups.
The city wants a new station to provide larger quarters for its police force.
Camarillo contracts with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department for police services in the city, and the deputies who patrol the city are now based in cramped quarters in a former Bank of America building on Palm Drive. The men’s bathroom is the bank’s old vault.
Assistant City Manager Larry Davis said the old Masonic building is an ideal spot for the new station.
“It has just about the total square footage we need,” he said. “It has a central location and good access to roads. The question now is can we get it for a price that’s reasonable and can we convert it for less than it would cost to build a new building.”
The council will decide Wednesday whether to spend another $20,000 to secure a 90-day option on the property.
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